NBA Lines and Spreads

What is an NBA Spread?

Like most sports, there are teams that are favorites and those that are less likely to win a match. The NBA is no different from other sports leagues. Betting on who wins these games is usually a fairly easy task, which is why the rewards for betting on the same aren’t always great. 

NBA line and spread betting add an element of balance to this. It encourages the better to bet on the margin of victory and whether the team with greater odds of winning the match can cover them. 

This margin of victory is referred to as the spread. To ensure the spread is accurate, bookies will account for what moneyline winner the bettors are picking and adjust the line to ensure that an element of risk is introduced. 

NBA Lines and Spreads Example

As stated in the previous section, NBA lines and spreads reveal who the favorites and underdogs are, and the spread reveals just how superior one team might be compared to the other. 

Here’s an example involving the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Team

Spread

Moneyline

Golden State Warriors

-16.5 (-108)

-182

Cleveland Cavaliers

+16.5 (-114)

+350

The spread for this match is -16.5 for the Golden State Warriors. This suggests that they will - in effect - be starting the game with a score of -16.5 to the Cavaliers’ 0. From this, it is clear that the Warriors are the favorites because they have to overcome a handicap. 

The moneyline odds, on the other hand, state that you would have to spend $182 on the Warriors to win $100 and $100 on the Cavaliers to win $350. 

NBA line and spread betting make betting more interesting despite having a clear favorite. The Warriors, who are the favorites to win this match, might still win this game, but betting on how much they’ll win is no easy task. 

Will they get 17 points more than the Cavaliers, or will the Cavaliers make this a tighter affair? These are the sort of questions that bettors will have to analyze before making a decision. Spread and line betting is at the heart of NBA betting.

Bet on the NBA Now

Now that you have a solid grasp of how to bet on NBA lines and spreads, you can visit the sportsbook and make your predictions.